This holiday season someone’s feeling the old bah, humbug!
To punish others collecting visa fees from its citizens, Thailand’s government will consider ending free-on-arrival visas for people from 17 nations.
The Immigration Bureau has formally requested the Foreign Ministry end the longstanding practice which provided free visas for arriving Australians, Britons, Americans, Germans, French, Swedes, Canadians, Dutch, Italians, Swiss, Danes, Finns, Norwegians, Israelis, Emiratis, Spaniards and Kiwis.
Why? Thai immigration officials complain it’s unfair those nations require Thais to pay visa fees, and believe the kingdom should reciprocate in kind.
Another reason to charge visa fees is the familiar “quality travelers” argument.
Fees would filter out criminals and cons seeking to conduct their nefarious deeds from Thai soil, according to immigration commissioner Lt. Gen. Panu Kerdlarpphol.
Panu suggested two possible structures: A flat, THB1,000 fee, or better yet, charge them the same as their government’s fees, which range from THB750 to THB3,900, Thai PBS reported.
Photo: Chris Waits
